More than 30 chain stores to be open for last-minute shopping

AUSTIN, Texas - While many people started their Christmas shopping back in early September, some have been putting off heading to the store or shopping online, and will continue to procrastinate until December 24. According to our holiday survey, 7 percent of holiday shoppers will be shopping on Christmas Eve.

But there isn't a reason to fear — yet. Procrastinators still have time to order gifts online — many retailers guarantee Christmas delivery for express shipping orders as late as Dec. 22. Last-minute shoppers also have the option of hitting the stores, with many major retailers staying open later on Dec. 23 and for limited hours on Christmas Eve. Some even offer free or discounted gift wrapping services, so the gifts can go directly from the store to underneath the tree.

Offers.com has compiled a list of store hours of major retailers for Dec. 23 and 24. Hours may vary locally, so check your local store’s individual opening and closing time.

Hospice given grant to continue supporting community

CLYDE - The Dow Chemical Company Foundation announced the award of a grant to ProMedica Hospice, 430 S. Main St., in support of the hospice concept care as an important part of the health delivery system in our area.

The $1,000 grant is part of the Dow Chemical Company Foundation’s support to local communities where employees and retirees live. The grant is made in recognition of the value of hospice in a community's health care system.

Hospice is a medically-directed program of supportive services for terminally ill persons and their families. The majority of hospice services are provided in the home. ProMedica Hospice not only provides care for hospice patients and families but also provides many bereavement opportunities to any community member who has experienced the loss of a loved one. This grant will be utilized for grief support that can be shared with bereaved families.

"The Dow Chemical Company Foundation recognizes the valuable service hospice provides the nation," says Vicki Meade, operations manager at ProMedica Hospice, "and we also recognize the vital role ProMedica Hospice plays in our community. We are proud of the Dow and Dow subsidiary employees and retirees who have supported the Clyde branch of ProMedica Hospice.”

Ohio Secretary of State Jon Husted(Photo: File)

Husted marks December as 'Made in Ohio' month

COLUMBUS - Secretary of State Jon Husted has announced December as “Made in Ohio” Month. Throughout the month, Ohio Business Profile will look back at the more than 600 companies that have been profiled since the program launched in 2011.

“Entrepreneurs and hard-working Ohioans are the fuel that drives our state’s economy,” said Husted, who was elected lieutenant governor in November as running mate of Governer-elect Mike DeWine. “During my time as Secretary of State, we have made it a priority to recognize these businesses while also working to make it easier for them to operate in Ohio,”

Since the start of the Ohio Business Profile program, each month has featured a group of Ohio-based businesses that share a common theme. To date, there have been 60 monthly themes that have highlighted a diverse selection of companies. Some monthly themes are annual, such as agriculture, minority-owned, veteran-owned, and women-owned, while others served as opportunities to showcase the wide range of types of companies operating in Ohio.

In total, more than 600 businesses featured through the Ohio Business Profile represent more than 151,000 employees across the Buckeye State.

The Ohio Business Profile program has been complemented by a series of innovative reforms aimed at alleviating the bureaucratic and administrative burdens placed on job creators. During Husted’s tenure, successes have included:

• The launch of Ohio Business Central, which enables all Ohio-based businesses to form and renew their business status online. This service has provided easier access, reduced processing time, and saved taxpayer dollars.

• A 21 percent reduction to the costs for starting and maintaining a business in Ohio, making the Buckeye State the least costly state in the region for starting and maintaining a business. This move, which was made possible by Secretary Husted’s careful fiscal stewardship, has already saved Ohio businesses over $8 million.

• Partnering with Google’s “Let’s Get Our Cities on the Map” program to put additional tools in the hands of new and growing Ohio businesses.

• The launch of a partnership with the Cleveland Sight Center, which has improved customer experience by reducing the average wait time for callers into the Business Services Call Center from five minutes and 19 seconds to just 43 seconds with a 95.7 percent customer satisfaction rate.

• Leading an effort to ensure that 100 percent of all forms needed to start or maintain a business in Ohio can be submitted online. This four-year effort was completed in August 2017, and four out of every five new businesses are now started online.

“While this is my last month as Ohio’s Secretary of State, it is my hope that the Ohio Business Profile program continues on during the next administration and all those administrations that follow,” Husted said.